Failed to uninstall the software on host. Timeout waiting for response from Service Fabric Host Component. Verify that nsx-sfhc is running on host.

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

While preparing a ESXI Host for NSX. NSX did not install properly on the host and on attempting to uninstall it from NSX manager, receiving the following below error:
Failed to uninstall the software on host. Timeout waiting for response from Service Fabric Host Component. Verify that nsx-sfhc is running on host.

Environment

VMware NSX 4.2.3.0
VMware ESXI 8.0.3

Cause

The issue occurs because the nsxcli -c del nsx command fails to completely remove NSX from the ESXi host.

Residual or stale NSX properties and VIB entries remain on the host, which prevents the Service Fabric Host Component (nsx-sfhc) from responding correctly. As a result, NSX Manager times out during the uninstall process.

Resolution

To resolve the issue, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Place the ESXi Host in Maintenance Mode

- Put the affected ESXi host into Maintenance Mode.
- Remove the host from the NSX-backed cluster.

This process clears stale NSX configuration entries from the host.

Step 2: Verify Removal of NSX VIBs

- Log in to the ESXi host via SSH and run:
  esxcli software vib list | grep -i nsx
- If no NSX-related VIBs are listed, the cleanup is successful.
- If VIBs are still present, ensure the host has been fully removed from the cluster and allow synchronization to complete.

Step 3: Re-add Host to Cluster

- Add the impacted ESXi host back to the NSX-backed cluster.
- Proceed with a fresh installation of NSX on the host.

The installation should now complete successfully without the Service Fabric Host Component timeout error.